The present invention relates generally to coordinated control of audio and video signals among a number of devices, and more specifically, to a system, method and controller for distribution of audio and video signals on a pay-for-use basis in a controlled environment.
A broad range of television appliances are available which allow users to access various audio and/or video features and services. Such appliances would include video cassette recorders, high fidelity sound decoders, satellite dishes and set-top boxes which provide internet over television and pay-per-view services.
It is common to operate television sets and television appliances using hand-held remote control devices. Requiring multiple remote controllers to operate these appliances compromises the convenience that a remote control provides, therefore, universal remote controllers have been made available which may operate a number of appliances from a single remote control. In order to communicate with a plurality of appliances, such remote controllers must be programmable to transmit in the protocol that each piece of equipment understands.
Because such universal remote control devices must transmit in a number of different protocols, they require each specific appliance to be identified so that the appropriate signal protocol can be transmitted. Identifying each device and sending commands particular to that device is at best inconvenient and slow.
The coordination of a number of television appliances is aggravated by the fact that most television appliances are operable to transmit and receive on only one or two predetermined channels. For example, it is common to see such appliances operable to transmit on either channel 3 or 4. When operating such equipment, it is necessary for the User to ensure that the necessary video switches, and input and output channels are coordinated. In a simple example of a pay-per-view descrambler, the User must check the descrambler to identify its output channel, tune the television set to that channel, and ensure that the video switch in the set-top box is set to send the de-scrambled signal to the television set and not the signal from the line in. Such implementations are inconvenient as the User must be aware of the input and output channels, and video switch settings for each television appliance. In a complex system, it is clearly a difficult task to coordinate all pieces of equipment.
One particular industry, the pay-per-view industry, generally relies on set top boxes-to provide audio and/or video services to specific Users. Pay-per-view is a method of distributing video signals that allows Users to select specific programs such as movies or sporting events and to pay only for these selections. This is in contrast to standard video distribution systems which make access to a broad range of programming available to Users for a flat fee.
One sub-segment of this industry is the institutional pay-per-view market. Institutional environments such as hotels and hospitals have implemented pay-per-view systems, but the existing systems are generally expensive, complex, or require manual interaction. Such systems are inconvenient in hotels and hospitals, and are completely impractical to implement in small environments such as motels.
Generally, institutions distribute television or video signals on a local cable network which allows equal access by all Users. In order to provide pay-per-view signals over an otherwise open network, the pay-per-view signals are secured in some manner to prevent Users from viewing them without paying. Two existing security methods are to encode the pay-per-view signals, or to block the video signals at the unauthorized User""s room.
One such system employs filters in each User""s room which block the pay-per-view video signals on the local cable network from being received by the User""s television. The User may call the hotel office to schedule a pay-per-view selection and in response, a special carrier frequency is returned to the user""s room via the telephone line. This special carrier frequency is picked up by a telephone/television interface in the User""s room which unblocks the filtering of the video signal on the selected channel.
This method requires either manual control at the hotel office, or a sophisticated computer to control and generate the carrier signals. Manual control is costly in that it requires a specially trained employee to spend time responding to the request and programming the equipment. Manual control is also prone to error and requires twenty-four hour attendance in order to offer the video service continuously. Clearly, this is not practical in the environment of a small motel. Having a local computer to implement such a system automatically would also be too costly for a small motel.
Another solution is to scramble the pay-per-view video signals at the front office and to distribute the scrambled signal over the local cable network. The User contacts the front desk by telephone and a de-scrambling code and user address is returned either over the telephone line or via the local cable network itself. In either case, a sophisticated encoding and control system is required at the hotel office and sophisticated decoding and control equipment is required in each User""s room. As a result, these systems are expensive and generally require trained operators.
The solutions described above can only be implemented in limited environments. They do not, for example, have the functionality to be implemented in bus stations, airports or bars, in which the customer is not identifiable and does not have a running account. Bus stations, airports or bars are still controlled environments in that the operator may install whatever equipment he requires to offer services, and to control access to these services. It is desirable to offer pay-per-view services in such controlled environments.
Pay-per-view services provided by local television cable providers have a more difficult environment to deal with than institutional pay-per-view because the controlled environment is not within the User""s premises. If a signal is distributed freely across the local cable network, each User will have access to it within his private house or apartment. Even if this signal is scrambled or otherwise encoded, the User may be able to unlawfully tamper with the incoming encoded signal.
The above systems are also generally restricted in the services that they can provide. Pay-per-view systems are typically restricted to the provision of a limited number of finite products determined by the provider, such as specific movies and programs. There is a market demand to provide greater flexibility, including viewing television channels for a certain number of hours, having access to direct-to-home satellite and internet-over-TV services. Such services are generally described as pay-for-use.
There is therefore a need for system and controller which reduces the amount of coordination required of a User in operating television sets and television appliances. There is also a need for a system and controller which allows distribution of video signals on a pay-for-use basis in a controlled environment, which is inexpensive to implement and easy to operate.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system, method and controller for coordinated control of audio and/or video signals, and a system, method and controller for distribution of audio and/or video signals on a pay-for-use basis in a controlled environment.
One aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a television system comprising a television set having a video signal input; a television appliance being electrically connected to the video signal input of the television set; a hand-held remote control device being operable to transmit a tuning signal representing a selected channel; the television appliance being operable to: receive the tuning signal representing the selected channel; and transmit a video signal to the television set via the electrical connection at the frequency corresponding to the selected channel; and the television set being operable to: receive the tuning signal representing the selected channel; and receive and display the video signal from the television appliance at the frequency corresponding to the selected channel.
Another aspect of the invention is defined as a system for distributing video signals comprising: at least one customer location having: a television set having a video signal input; a telephone line/television control interface being electrically connected to the video signal input of the television set; and a hand-held remote control device being operable to transmit a tuning signal representing a selected channel; a local source of video signals; a global authorization computer; a local video signal distribution network interconnecting the local source of video signals with the telephone line/television control interface; a telecommunications network for interconnecting the global authorization computer with the telephone line/television control interface; the television set including means for receiving the tuning signal and tuning the television set to the selected channel; the global authorization computer including means for issuing an authorization packet to the telephone line/television control interface via the telecommunications network; and the telephone line/television control interface including: means for receiving the tuning signal from the hand-held remote control device; means for receiving an authorization packet authorizing viewing of a pay-for-use channel, from the global authorization computer via the telephone network; and controlling means responsive to the selected channel being the pay-for-use channel and the authorization to view the pay-for-use channel being received by passing the selected channel at the transmitted frequency of the selected channel.
Another aspect of the invention is defined as a telephone line/television control interface comprising: means for receiving a request to tune the television to a selected channel; means for receiving an authorization packet authorizing viewing of a pay-for-use channel, from the global authorization computer via the telephone network; and controlling means responsive to the selected channel being the pay-for-use channel and the authorization to view the pay-for-use channel being received by passing the selected channel at the transmitted frequency of the selected channel.
Another aspect of the invention is defined as a global authorization computer comprising: means for storing a plurality of remote control protocols; means for receiving a request to program a telephone line/television control interface to a selected one of the plurality of remote control protocols; means for transmitting a selected one of the plurality of remote control protocols to the telephone line/television control interface; and means for issuing an authorization packet in dual-tone multi-frequency format containing authorized user room identification, authorized channel and authorized period of time.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of distributing video signals in an environment with at least one customer location having a television set having a video signal input, a telephone line/television control interface being electrically connected to the video signal input of the television set and a hand-held remote control device being operable to transmit a tuning signal representing a selected channel, a local source of video signals, a global authorization computer, a local video signal distribution network interconnecting the local source of video signals with the telephone line/television control.interface, and a telecommunications network for interconnecting the global authorization computer with the telephone line/television control interface, the method comprising the steps of: the global authorization computer issuing an authorization packet to the telephone line/television control interface via the telecommunications network; the television set responding to the tuning signal by tuning the television set to the selected channel; and the telephone line/television control interface responding to the authorization packet by allowing the selected channel to be passed to the television set at the transmitted frequency of the selected channel.